Improved cabinet-bedstead



` iliade-1I tsttt parte eine.

ID'ANIEL fr.'ROBINSON, or BOSTON', ASSIGNOR jTo WILLIAM B. Winans',v orA SHARON, MASSAcHUSETTs Letters Patent No. 93,556, dated August 10, 1869;

IMPRO'VED CABINET-BEDSTEAD.

The Schedule referred toin vthese Letters Patent andV z :nakin'g parthf'the same.

To all to whom these presents shall 0me:

Be itknown that I, DANIEL T. ROBINSON, of Bos'- ton, in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have made an invention of certain Improvements in Folding or Oabinet-Bedsteads; and do hereby de- .clare the following to bea full, clear, andexactv de?v scription thereof, due reference being had lto the accompari yin g drawings,maki ng part of this specification, and in jwhich Figure l is a perspective representation 'of my invention, with its bed-bottom inan open'or exposed and extended condition, ready for occupancy.

Figure 2 is a vertical-section of the invention, with its bed in a closedV state, but vwith thewriting-'desk thereof open and exposed to view.

The invention to be herein describedis an improvement in a class of bedsteads,`n`ow coming into extensive use, known. as bureau or secretary-bedsteads, -orthose in which the bed-bottom or bedding'is concealed Within a counterfeit articleof furniture, the particular form of such bedsteads to which my present invention has especial and local reference being that in which the Vbed-bottom folds within the bureau orlcabinet, in order to reduce its height'and lessen the vertical vspace required yfor its reception, as well as to enable its elevation to be effected With less exertion.

This invention will be found to consist in an original and novel mode of uniting the two portions of the bed in s'uch manner that its elevation into a perpendicular position may be eil'ectedwith little or no'eii'ort on the part of the occupant,'as well as in a peculiar mode of connecting the bed-bottom with the receiving-- case vor bureau,.whereby it may be readily detached therefrom, should occasion require, as Well as to permit of its elevation withinv such case, or its depression with respect' thereto. n And this invention will further be found to consist in an ingenious Inode of construction of the upper part of the cabinet, which receives the bed-bottom, where- 'cabinet being dividedby av shelf, a, which creates. a shallow enclosure, b, into which may be deposited the various toilet-articles, utensils, 85o., of the occupant,

or, if desirable, may be utilized wholly or in part as a receptacle for various papers, writing-materials, and articles usually contained in a writing-desk.

The enclosure li is open at front, such opening being closed by a drop-door or cover, c, hinged at its lower side tothe front edge of the shelf or partition a.

The door c has a second or auxiliary depending leaf or tablet, d, hinged to its inner upper edge, as shown ate, in fig. 2, of the'accompanying drawings, such leaf being' furnished at each end with a link or bar, f, pivoted thereto, the free endl of each of such links, or a stud, g, xed thereupon, extending into and playing in a slot, h, made in an carior plate,t' or i, fixed to the inner face of the door c, as exhibited. Furthermore, upon thel inner face of the leaf d, and

vat each extreme opposite end, a socket `orclasp, j, is

provided, while to the inner surface of each end of bar, k, as shown in iig. 2 of the drawings,

. Should it become desirable to convert the cabinet into a Writing-desk, of such nature that the occupant mayuse it ina-sitting posture, the door. a is first tolbe lowered against the front of thecabinet, and the leaf d subsequently lowered to its extreme limit, or into a horizontal position, the links j' f yand slotted plates t' i serving-to retain it n rmly in this position.

Should the occupant wish to use the desk while standing, the door c is to be lowered intona position,y `with its outer edge at aslight angle above ahorizontal plane, andthe leaf or tablet el raised into a horizontal position, or thereabouts, the free ends of the catchbars lc lt being brought forward and inserted within 'the socket j of I the leaf (l, thus serving as a reliable support to such leaf, the slots permitting ofthe necessary intervening movements of the leaf and door.`

' The bed-bottom before alluded to, is shown as composed of two slotted frames l l, made and hinged together attheir abutting ends, asgshown at a1 a2, veryT much after the manner of many bed-bottoms now in use, the outer flame lbeing provided with depending -folding legs m m, and the inner frame with immovable legs u n', such immovable legs, as well as those rst mentioned, being furnished preferably at their lower ends, Withcasters or rollers o 0,1 v

The Wire of the hinges a a extends entirely acro'ssthe frames, and has pivoted to its ends two pendulous legs p p, for supporting the centre of the bed-bottom, casters q q being applied tothe feet of such legs,

In carrying. out the portion of my invention relating to the bed-bottom, I apply to one face of leach leg p p a stud or pulley, lr,while to the inner face of each siderail, s s or s s', of the frames l l, and in immediate proximity of such legs, I swivel a-pulley or sheave, t..

I next attach an elastic cord to each side of the bedbottomby securing the respective ends of such cords to opposite ends of such bed-bottom, and pass such cords over the pulleys t t, 8vo., and below the pulleys frr, as shown in -gs.1 and 2 of the annexed drawings, the slack of such cord being taken up when it is confined in place.

It will be apparent that the tension of the elastic cord, or its equivalent,`wil1 serve to maintain the two portions of the bed-bottom in contact with each other, when within the cabinet. The chief value of the elastic cord will be' found to consist in the fact that its contraction will have snii'cient power to fold the two frames ll, and elevate them into a perpendicular position, or into that shown in iig. 2 oil the drawings.

A suitable hook or clasp is to be applied to the two frames l l, to hold them in horizontal position vagainst the power of the elastic cord.

On releasing this catch, the power ot' the elastic cord will at once elevate thetwo frames within the chamber B, without exertion on the part of the attendant. l

To the outer face of the inner or lower end of each side of the inner frame l, and vat the upper corner thereof, I pivot a roller or caster, u, such rollers playing in vertical grooves Iv lv, formed in the inside of the opposite walls ofthe chamber B, the said rollers serving as fulcra, to permit of raising and lowering of theframes l l, as well as casters to the bed-bottom, when the latter is entirely detached from the cabinet, and used as a bed independently thereof', the grooves v v permitting this removal to be effected very easily and expeditiously.

It will be evident that other devices than the elastic cord herein mentioned may be employed for contractingvand elevating the bed-bottom, without affecting the character of my invention. For instance, an elastic cord may be'passed about the pulleys in manner as herein shown, and its ends attached to spiral springs, which, in turn, are secured to the rails of the bed-bottom, or a windlass may he employed at eaehfend of the bed-bottom, about which the ends of the cords are passed, by rotating which the cords may be shortened or lengthened, to produce the same result'.

Claims'.

1. In bureau-bedsteads, in which the bed-bottom consists of two portions hinged together, a spring, or the equivalent thereof', so applied and arranged as to contract and elevate the hinged portions, subltantially as herein described, and for the purposes set orth.

2. The combination and arrangement'of the doo or 'cover e and leaf d, hinged together, and provided with the links f f, slotted ears i, i, and the catch-bare k k, and sockets j j, or their equivalents, in manner and for the purpose before explained.

DANIEL T. ROBINSON.

Witnesses FRED. Gomis, EDWARD GRIFFITH.- 

